An Edinburgh mum who lost her son to drug addiction said she is shocked having found out how many people died from drug misuse in Scotland last year.
Tracy Hadlow, 53, was heartbroken when her son Nathan, aged 20, died in April 2021 after failing to get the help and rehabilitation he needed to overcome his drug addiction issues.
Official figures on the were released by the Scottish Government on Thursday. They revealed that in 2020 a total of 1,339 people died from substance misuse in Scotland - the highest number on record.
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Despite the latest figures showing a slight decrease compared to the year before, the amount of drug-related deaths in Scotland has risen each year for 15 years prior to 2021. In Edinburgh, there were over 100 deaths related to drug misuse.
Tracey, an NHS a clinical support worker, said the latest figures were "shocking" and that more needs to be done to combat an issue that has risen year after year.
The mum-of-three told the Daily Record : "I'm really surprised at this. I honestly thought more had been done to help reduce the number of people losing their lives to drugs, but clearly not."
The new figures show a fall of just nine deaths.
Tracy added: "Only nine people less than the year before, it's shocking. This needs to be seriously looked at and action needs to be taken to combat the problem.
"I wish I had all the answers, but I don't. What I will say though is that I think the Government needs to give extra money and resources to mental health services in the country.
"I have spoken to many addiction sufferers and their families over the last year and I know that mental health plays a major factor for people with addictions. I think services need to work together to help people rather than making them wait years for separate appointments.
"Sometimes this is too late."
The figures from 2021 show that Scotland recorded 1,330 deaths - a fall of just one per cent, with the figure still being the second highest annual total since records began. Despite the number falling marginally, it is the first year since 2013 in which drug misuse deaths have not increased.
Nicola Sturgeon yesterday admitted that more needed to be done to tackle Scotland's drugs death epidemic.
The First Minister said: "Every death to drugs is the loss of an individual who was loved and valued. So while it is welcome that deaths in 2021 were slightly down on year before - and that year on year increase since 2013 has halted - we know there is much more to do to address this unacceptable crisis."
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